NRA LOSING INFLUENCE ON LEGISLATORS GUN GROUP SAYS LOBBYING TACTICS ARE TO EDUCATE, NOT INTIMIDATE

WASHINGTON -- A few days before the House approved the Brady Bill, U.S. Rep. Mike Andrews of Texas received from the National Rifle Association a videotape of television ads set to run in his congressional district.

Andrews, one of several House members who switched to the gun-control side of the debate, saw the videotape as a veiled threat by the powerful gun lobby to take aim at him if he voted against its wishes.

As evidence, an Andrews aide cited an accompanying letter from top NRA lobbyist James Jay Baker, who pointed out that his organization spends millions of dollars annually on public relations and TV ads.

Before his May 8 vote for the Brady Bill, the fifth-term Democratic congressman from Houston had a 100 percent approval rating from the NRA.

NRA officials insisted the letter and videotape were sent not to intimidate wavering members of Congress but to educate the public on the Brady Bill and the NRA-backed alternative.

Andrews' concern over the ads -- one of which warns viewers that the Brady Bill "lets bureaucrats decide if you can own a gun" -- vividly illustrates the fear the NRA can instill in elected officials. Yet his final "yes" vote and the overwhelming passage of the bill also indicate that the gun lobby may have lost its tight grip on Congress.

Advocates were jubilant over winning House approval of the first major gun- control legislation in nearly 23 years.

"All of these people who did switch are going to get re-elected next year, and they're going to see that voting against the NRA is really quite painless," predicted Jeff Muchnick of the Washington-based Coalition to Stop Gun Violence.

NRA officials, who note that the legislative and political battles over gun control are far from over, say they get their power from the people.

"We're able to mobilize the masses for the cause we believe in," NRA lobbyist Joe Phillips said. "We do it very effectively, and they (members of Congress) don't like it."

In the one 1990 congressional race in which gun control appeared to be a decisive issue, Bernie Sanders unseated former Rep. Peter Smith, R-Vt., a gun- control supporter whom the NRA had squarely in its sights. Sanders, the only avowed socialist in Congress, voted against the Brady Bill.

The NRA's political action committee pumped nearly $1 million into 1990 congressional races, including the Sanders-Smith race.

U.S. Rep. Larry Smith, D-Hollywood, warns that the gun lobby, now that it has lost a key fight, will be as dangerous as a wounded animal when cornered.

"They're vindictive people. Anything they do is heavy-handed," said Smith, who has been opposed by the NRA in past elections. "There's no reason that they should change their tactics, especially now that they have lost one battle."

Phillips said such attacks by Smith and others unfairly impugn the motives of the NRA and its 3 million members, including about 125,000 in Florida.

The NRA lobbyist also said the attacks do not give the organization credit for trying to do something about handgun violence by supporting an alternative bill calling for instant background checks on would-be gun buyers.

Phillips would not say which Florida members of Congress may be opposed by the NRA in 1992. But probable targets who voted in favor of the gun bill include Reps. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Miami, and Craig James, R-Deland.